What tools are you using?

#1 Poser for TGB for build image and Paint Shop Pro 8. Milkshape 1.7.8, Gamespace 1.6, Heaxgon2 and 3ds Max for 3d model and level building.

#2 I too use Poser and Paint Shop Pro (v9). I have Hexagon 2, but haven't spent any time with it really.

However, for a free app that's similar to Poser, try Daz Studio.

#3 Daz Studio seems very promising!! Is there any other good freeware? (especially for character design that is similar to Poser, Flash or Moho)

#4 Expression 4 and
Softimage XSI 5

You should check out Expression (formerly Creaturehouse Expression) because it's a really cool combination of vector and bitmap tools. Anything that I am not modeling in XSI in 3d, I am using Expression. I also use it for creating some textures that I use in XSI.

#5 I actually have been using the GIMP a little bit. :)

I own Lightwave as well, but I'm not working on a 3D game at the moment.

#6 Ink Scape is a nice open source vector based art program.

#7 Is anyone using, or has anyone looked at, Toon Boom Studio? It looks pretty fully featured and (relatively) affordable, exports image sequences, and has a decent toolset.

I have Animation:Master and can render out image sequences but it's hard to get a nice, clean, cartoony-type rendering out of it (could be my lack of leet skills, though).

#8 I use the best program any of you have heard of: Paint!

But seriously. . .

I learned to draw bitmaps on Paint, and it's the best choice for retro 16-bit looking graphix. I have recently been using Corel Draw extensively for vectors, and it works like a charm. For touching up I use Photoshop --- that program took a long time to get used to, lol.

#9 3D Max for rendering sprites, Genetica Pro/Photoshop CS2 for textures to go on those models and ground tiles, Photoshop CS2 for post-rendering touch-ups and corrections. I've never used any vector programs except Photoshop and Illustrator, but when I do it's done in Photoshop. Just more comfortable with that program.

Anyone tried Pixen? Curious about that one.

#10 Pixen looks interesting.. I just downloaded it and will see if it runs on my poor, pathetic Powerbook.

If it runs, I'll fiddle with it and post back my impressions.

#11 The thing that I thought was interesting about Pixen, though I haven't used it, is the way it can put copies of the tile you're working on around your work area, so you can view the seams around a tile without any extra fiddling. I'm surprised no program has done this yet.

#12 There is a program called Moho.
Can be downloaded from http://www.lostmarble.com/

It's fun to play with. You can make 2d IK and save it as frame sequences.

#13 I'm starting to use Paint.Net from Washington State University since it meets my needs. I can't actually make worthwhile art, so I'm just using it to make tolerable placeholder sprites. It's not as fancy as Photoshop or anything like that, but it's sufficient, free, and doesn't require anything other than .NET Framework 2.0.

#14 Pixen looks very interesting.

Back on DOS times I loved to work with Autodesk Animator but I guess no such program was ever created for Windows... Pixen seems to be very close it. Anyone knows an awesome sprite/tile creation program for Windows or Linux? I'd love to try out Pixen but I don't own a Mac..

#15 Pro Motion 5 is really nice pixel drawing package. It is a lot like the old DOS programe Deluxe Paint and Deluxe Animator for Electronic Arts.

#16 Oliver, a very cool tile creation program is called World Creator. It uses a very unique way of creating flat or isometric tiles, and you can even animate them. I highly recommend this program!

I don't have a url on me at the moment but google either "World Creator" or "Inet2Inet.com". Again I highly recommend investigating this software for 2D based sprite and tile creation. =)

#17 Pro Motion is awesome! It's pretty much the same as Autodesk Animator.. really cool, I'm gonna buy it. :)

@Darrin, hmm interesting program, gonna play around with it for a bit. :)

#18 Oliver, yes WC is rather strange and takes a while getting used to. I'm slowly getting the hang of it and can create some passable isometric rooms within minutes as opposed to hours if I had to draw or even model and render them in another program.

To begin with I found the program frustrating but after reading (and re-reading) the tutorials in the forums (not the ones that come with WC) I am slowly becoming accustomed to its work methodology. I'm now planning on using it almost exclusively to build the tiles for my 2D platformer.

Oh btw, if you read the tutorial on making trees, it is insanely simple to use say Photoshop's airbrush to generate a mask, import it into WC and generate a great looking tree within *seconds*. WC actually has made making tiles and level graphics fun for me again. =)

#19 www.xara.com/ is the best program out there for creating static vector based art. It doesn't include animation tools though so you would need to break up your art and bring it into an animation program.

-Unk

#20 I should note that I just bought Adobe Photoshop CS recently. But I get a student discount and I'd been using PS for years at my previous job, so it was more efficient for me to get software I was familiar with.